Let's Just Be Brothers

[A free short story, with a rushed ending.]

Lin Zhi always thought Lu Xiao was simply his brother and teammate, someone he'd been through life-and-death situations with.

That was until the safe zone fell and they were trapped, on the verge of death.

As Lu Xiao lay dying, he suddenly confessed his feelings and said he liked Lin Zhi.

-

When Lin Zhi opened his eyes again, he was surprised to find himself reborn one year in the past.

He planned to save up again and move to a safer zone ahead of time.

He also planned to discreetly nip Lu Xiao's still-unspoken feelings in the bud. After all, being brothers was the most stable kind of relationship.

----Next up in my column: Pursue Someone Else

Song Shi spent a whole year pursuing the campus heartthrob Shen Mu in his laid-back way, but in the end, he was still gently turned down.

You can't force a melon to taste sweet.

He decided to pursue someone else.

For instance, Liang Mo, the rival from the neighboring school they'd faced off against many times.

He was very much Song Shi's type, too.

*

Liang Mo always came in first at campus competitions, but most of the time, he wasn't very happy about it.

Because the neighboring school had a guy named Shen Mu.

He was clearly in second place, but somehow always managed to make a bigger spectacle of things than Liang Mo did.

Then, one day, after a competition ended, the boy who always brought Shen Mu flowers unexpectedly offered them to Liang Mo instead.

The boy congratulated him with a warm smile.

Liang Mo narrowed his eyes. With Shen Mu watching from nearby with a complicated expression, he accepted the bouquet.

-2023.10.16

Theme: I'll give you all my favor